Our low-key July 4th weekend

I missed my regular Tuesday morning posting time this week.  With the holiday weekend and a hair appointment before work on Tuesday morning, there was no time.    We actually had a pretty low-key weekend.  In fact, Saturday was so low-key I can hardly remember one thing I did!  I definitely didn't take any pictures.  

Lori and Anthony had a houseful of people from Friday to Tuesday - Lori's sister Andrea from Atlanta, her friend Jackie from DC, and her friend Ivy and family from NYC.  Jackie and Ivy are sisters.  These four girls, Lori, Andrea, Jackie, and Ivy have been friends since childhood!!  They all went to church together in Brooklyn when they were growing up!  And they are still best friends today!  Isn't that so cool!  The last time all four of them were together was the weekend seven years ago when we had Austin's baby dedication and open house.  We joked that the next time they get together will be in seven years when Lori has her baby girl, hahahaha!!  Lori joked, "And it will be a grand adoption party!"

On Sunday afternoon Dick and I went to Bald Eagle State Park for the first time.  It is less than half an hour from here and so beautiful!  A sand beach at the lake.  Picnic tables and pavilions.  Shaded seating areas.  And it's free!  We definitely want to keep this place in mind if we have grandchildren here for weekends, etc.   We also took a long drive around the primitive camping area.  Wow.  Way too wild and wooded for me.

On Monday morning I woke up at 5, and when I checked FB I saw a message that our friend Lowell Graybill from our home church in Manheim had suffered a brain aneurysm during the night while he and his wife Tracy and another couple were at their cabin in northern PA.  He had been life-flighted to Geisinger Hospital in Danville, just an hour-and-a-half from here.  His daughter Steph, who has been here to stay with us a couple of times this past year, was there with him.  She said that her mom was going to be driving from the cabin to the hospital and would arrive later in the morning.  We hated to think of Steph being there by herself and felt that we should go to stay with her until others arrived.  So we got dressed, packed some food to eat while driving, and left home.  Soon after we hit the road Steph messaged us that they were actually going to be life-flighting him to Hershey Medical Center, which is closer to home.  Thankfully we had not gotten far!  So we went back home and prayed and kept updated via FB and prayer chains phone calls from our home church.  Here's a picture of Lowell and Tracy.  We have known them ever since they were dating and started coming to Grace Community Fellowship back in the late 80's. 

Lowell is still at Hershey in stable, but critical condition.  Thankfully he is able to be sitting on a chair, eating, talking, even cracking a few jokes, but he has an intense headache all the time. There are procedures and decisions to be made as to the best way to deal with the aneurysm, and there is concern about another artery as well. He needs every prayer that is offered up on his behalf.  We love this family so much and it feels hard to be so far away at a time like this.  

Back home on Monday, we spent some time weeding and mulching.  This year I decided I wanted to try growing impatiens.  I really don't have any shady place, which I know they like.  But we found some on clearance and I decided to get them and see what would happen.  I'm delighted that at least they are blooming, even though they are still very small.  

Another thing I have not had here at this house is hosta.  I decided last year that I was tired of the tall lilies lining this walkway.  So Dick got one pot of hosta and divided it up into about 16 pieces.  They are still very fledgling this summer, but at least they survived. 

Later in the afternoon we went to the Fourth Fest activities near Beaver Stadium.  Unfortunately it was becoming very cloudy by that time and was actually misting most of the time we were there.  

Good old funnel cake!  I love it.

We sat and watched several bands, mostly mediocre.   This girl was far better than any of them.

An army battalion was there showing some of their equipment to children.   Dick proudly told them about our Jenn!

The crew from Anthony and Lori's house were planning to join us there, but the weather just didn't cooperate.  The mist and drizzle turned to outright rain.  So we picked up pizzas they had ordered and went to their place for the evening.  It was lots of fun.

Besides I hadn't seen this little guy since Wednesday, and it was TIME!

Our plans had been to go somewhere to watch the State College fireworks together, but the rain nixed those plans.  They actually did go ahead with the fireworks, and we could see them at various places as we drove home.  We knew there was a good place we could have gone to watch them from the car, but our Tuesday morning needed to have an early start, so we decided to be old people and go home, haha!  

Our favorite fireworks, of course, are the ones at Longs Park in Lancaster.  This year we decided not to go down to that event (Sunday evening) because of all the driving trips we've had lately (and WILL have this coming weekend for our  Witmer weekend.) 

Tuesday morning I got a load of wash out of the dryer and discovered that I had laundered some money!  I even found some rolled up in my underwear!  That sounds bad, doesn't it, hahahaha!

I took this picture of our house this morning while neither of our vehicles were parked there.  I wish we had grass in front of our house instead of a driveway.  

I was at Anthony and Lori's today doing food prep and caring for this little hunter who just melts my heart with every expression.  He is the sweetest, most pleasant little guy!!

Right as he was nearly finished with this bottle and had fallen asleep he majorly filled his diaper!!!  I had to disturb him to change his diaper, which he did not appreciate one bit.  But he was soon sleeping again. 

And now just enjoy all these expressions!

Have a good rest of the week!